Cardiovascular Health: Keeping Your Heart Strong and Functional

3 May 2018

Preparing For Your First Appointment With A Skin Allergy Specialist

If you believe you have a skin allergy but have yet to be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional, scheduling an appointment with a skin allergy specialist is an important first step towards treatment. A skin allergy specialist will also be able to determine exactly what you're allergic to (if there is any question) before proceeding with the treatment that is best suited for your needs. Preparing for your first appointment with an allergy specialist? There are a few things to be aware of.

Bring a List of Skin Care Products

More than likely, your skin allergy specialist will want to know exactly what kinds of products you're using on your skin on a daily basis. With this in mind, you should bring a list of these products to your first appointment. This should include any kind of soaps, body washes, lotions, scrubs, self-tanners, and other products you use on a regular basis.

Avoid Taking Medications Prior to Your Appointment

More than likely, your skin allergy specialist will also want you to discontinue using most prescription and over-the-counter medications before your first appointment. However, you should certainly speak to your primary care physician before you discontinue use of anything prescribed to ensure it's safe to do so. Mostly, your skin allergy specialist will want you to stop taking any medicines (like antihistamines) that could interfere with the results of your skin allergy testing.

Plan for About an Hour-Long Appointment

If you are undergoing skin allergy testing as part of your first appointment (which you most likely will unless told otherwise), you should prepare for this to take about an hour. In some cases, the appointment might take longer if your allergy specialist wants to conduct any monitoring after the testing is complete.

Prepare for Local Swelling and Reactions

As part of your skin allergy testing, you will likely be exposed to a number of known allergens in small doses. This is important in determining your reactions and narrowing down your known allergens. You will most likely experience a bit of swelling or other minor reactions in the hours following your appointment, but if the reactions don't cease after a few hours, be sure to call your allergy specialist for further guidance.

A skin allergy appointment is usually the first step towards figuring out what you're allergic to and how to best treat it, so be sure to prepare for your visit appropriately. For more information, contact a company like The Regional Allergy Asthma & Immunology Center, PC.

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About Me

If you're concerned about your heart, you probably do all you can to keep it healthy. But sometimes, even your best efforts aren't enough to protect your heart safe from disease and other complications. About five months ago, my spouse suffered a heart attack. Because my spouse ate properly and exercised regularly, their condition surprised and baffled everyone. After examining my spouse, a heart specialist diagnosed my loved one with atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develops when arteries become hard and narrow, which restricts blood circulation to the heart and body. If my spouse had visited the doctor regularly, the doctor would've diagnosed their condition sooner. If you want to learn more about your heart and why it's important receive regular checkups, read my blog. Good cardiovascular health begins here. Thanks for reading and good luck.